Depression and RA | Arthritis Information

I am on Predisone, Folic Acid, and this last i.v. treatment my R.A. dr. told me she gave me the highest dose of remicade she could and if I failed this I could no longer take remicade. I have failed embrel, and humira. I take mobic for osteoporios. I am suppose to take a muscle relaxer for newly diagnosed fibromyalgia. I haven't wrapped my mind around that diagnoses yet.

I am type I insulin dependent diabetic, and a heart patient. I take Toprol for blood pressure, also Torsemide, amd Lipisol(sp).

I have glaucoma and take med's for that also.

Question- I have recently started crying alot. After my last treatment of remicade I contracted pnemonia and had to go to the hospital and every since I got out, I have felt extremely down, like never before. I have been crying alot, and full of despair. I want to work but it just seems like I can't work and I am not disabled either. I am just useless right now. Does remicade or predisone cause depression? Or RA?

RA & depression are hand in hand as for as I understand and have known all of my life.

Hey you can see if you can try Kinert, another biological, it is ok for people with diabetes.

Hope you feel better soon.

Huggs!

joonie39308.9094675926Beta blockers (Toprol, Inderal, etc) can cause depression. It's a common side effect. You might want to talk to your cardiologist about changing the dosage. Steroids can also cause emotional upsets.

Best of luck!
vanessa, pred can cause extreme mood changes, including depression. something to watch out for, is that it can also do the opposite - cause an extreme sense of self importance. It's a rare side effect, but one that needs to be addressed, and soon. I would make an appt. ASAP with your doc, and tell them how you're feeling. While it could be just the fact that you have A LOT on your plate right now.....which is perfect for breeding depression......it may be the pred - and it's NOT a favorable side effect, and one that means you need to get off of it NOW. But only your doctor can decide what exactly is causing this. either way, don't sit around and wait, it's just not worth it. This is something that CAN be taken care of, and you shouldn't have to feel that way!

*hugs*

I can relate to you. I have been down myself some days. I think RA can just make you blue. I take some of the same meds but as far as I know I only have the RA. I have been noticing my eyes being dry I guess. Kind of burning like I got camp fire smoke in them. I didn't realy ofer much insight but I am sure one of our more senior people will have more helpful stuff for you.

I hope things turn around for you soon. Let us know how things are going and try and get some rest.

Vanessa, I think it's good that you recognize you are depressed. Maybe it would be a good idea to talk to your doctor about it.

If he decides to prescribe medication ask him questions about the medication. Like will I gain weight on this med?

Or How easily can I get off the medication if I feel I no longer need it.

These have been 2 problems with anti-depressant medications.
There probably is something that can be prescribed that dosent have these effects. Maybe their is something you can take that is short term.
Also, with being on pred it could be a short term problem. Still it's a good idea to get it checked out.

Vanessa,

With all the things going on in your life being depressed would be almost expected. However, I would take the advice of others and speak to your doctor about it.

Hugs

I too think you have a right to be depressed. I think your depression at your situation is a normal reaction. Maybe an anti-depressant would help.Depression is an actual symptom of RA. Once your RA is more under control
it might go away. I was really depressed for a long time but it went away
after about my second month of AP. In fact, it was the first sign the AP was
working.

Personally, I would only go on an anti-depressant as a last resort. (If you do
decide to go on one PLEASE PLEASE do some in depth research into whatever
you're going on before you start). I can get free counselling if I ask for it at
the arthritis centre where I get treated. Maybe you have access to a service
like that?Gimpy-a-gogo, what kind of center do you go to for free counseling? I know nothing about anti-depressants, and am not sure which dr. I should mention it to internest, ra dr., or cardiologist. Or should I make an appointment to a psych dr? I am not sure what is going on with me but will keep you updated.. I made an appointment to see internest tomorrow morn. as I am still having congestion and getting fever again, maybe I could mention it to him. thanks. It can't hurt to mention it to the internist.

Vanessa, I think you should talk to your internist about your depression. Your post definitely sounded like you have recognized the depression in yourself.

It is very common for people with chronic illnesses to have depression. I have been on anti-depressants for many years. I didn't even think I needed them when my doctor prescribed them, but they have really helped me be able to deal with being sick.

There are many different types and brands. Your doctor would know more what you need and if you need it. But if you have depression that needs to be treated, anti-depressants can make a world of difference in the way you cope with your illnesses.

You really do have a lot going on in your life. It would not be unusual for someone in your position to be depressed.

Please let us know what the doctor says. As you can see, you have a lot of people who care about you.

Hugs,

Nini

Hi Vanessa. It's so common for people with chronic illnesses to be depressed. You have so much happening in your life right now that's it's completely understandable. I've been depressed since I got my diagnoses last year and the medication is not causing it. What's causing it is the diagnoses. And feeling useless because I can't work and the pain when I use my hands etc. etc. My rheumatologist has worked with me in trying to find the right anti-depressant. I'm going to go back on Wellbutrin again because it doesn't have the side effects some of the other ones have. Good luck to you and please let us know how you're doing. We care about you.Vanessa, I get treated at an arthritis centre here in Vancouver. It has my
RD, my OT, and my PT, a warm water pool, and education centre,
vocational services, a research floor, and counselling, and it's all free
(because I'm in Canada). Not everyone getting treated for arthritis goes to
a centre, but I'm lucky! There's centres for other diseases like cancer, too.
I went to a really great counsellor when my Mom was dying of cancer and
it helped a lot. It's probably set up differently where you get treated, but I
bet your RD or GP can fix you up with either low cost or free counselling if
you can't afford it, or maybe a support group would be helpful. There's a
thread about support groups going on right now and those that belong to
one say they're great. Depression is a terrible thing to have, as many here
can attest to, and it can seriously impinge on your quality of life. It
shouldn't go untreated. I really believe it can be a symptom of RA, so
getting your RA more under control might be enough to help it. I'm
rooting for you!

Also, not to trivialise the seriousness of depression, but excercie can be
really helpful, too.

Hi Gimps, the arthritis center sounds absolutely wonderful. What a joy it would be to have access to all those services in one place.

I'm very near a big city and can't find a warm water pool for aqua therapy. I did go to one at a PT group. However it was basically just a big tub about the size of a jacuzzi. Not enough room to really do much but walk in circles, etc. And when I was there, it was for my hip, only.

I'm going to check the Arthritis Foundation page again, or call if I'm still having trouble. I do know that soaking in a warm tub is very soothing, but I'd like to move a bit while I'm in it.

That's another resource for you, Vanessa. The Arthritis Foundation has literature available that could help you learn more about RA and other forms of Arthritis. Just do a search on Arthritis Foundation and it will help you find the one nearest you. Sometimes knowledge can set you free.

Of course, the folks on here are extremely knowledgable, and a lot of us have been dealing with our illnesses for a long tim.

Sleep Well,

Nini

Vanessa,

No matter where you live there should be free counseling available either through a county mental health facility or University if you have one where you live. Also, there should be some sort of hotline to call and worse case scenario you can always go to your local hospital where there will always be an emergency crisis counselor of some sort on staff. If you'd like to PM me with where you live perhaps I could help you find the resources. They don't make these easy to find sometimes but they are out there. As for the depression, unfortunately depression does seem to go hand in hand with chronic illnesses as well as a huge side effect from certain medications. Not to mention all you are dealing with right now. I would certainly talk to your doctor about it. My RD gives me my scripts but I've gotten them from a regular GP and therapist in the past. One that might work well for you is Cymbalta as it seems to help people with Fibro and depression. Good luck to you sweetie and definately get some help.

Peace & Love...Neasy

[QUOTE=vanessa]

I am on Predisone, Folic Acid, and this last i.v.
treatment my R.A. dr. told me she gave me the highest dose of remicade
she could and if I failed this I could no longer take remicade. I have failed
embrel, and humira. I take mobic for osteoporios. I am suppose to take a
muscle relaxer for newly diagnosed fibromyalgia. I haven't wrapped my
mind around that diagnoses yet.

I am type I insulin dependent diabetic, and a heart patient. I take
Toprol for blood pressure, also Torsemide, amd Lipisol(sp).

I have glaucoma and take med's for that also.

Question- I have recently started crying alot. After my last treatment of
remicade I contracted pnemonia and had to go to the hospital and every
since I got out, I have felt extremely down, like never before. I have been
crying alot, and full of despair. I want to work but it just seems like I can't
work and I am not disabled either. I am just useless right now. Does
remicade or predisone cause depression? Or RA?

[/QUOTE]

Vanessa, sorry you are going through a rough time right now. Sometimes
an antidepressant used for a short time can bring your body back into a
chemical balance. I think everyone on this board can relate to what you
are feeling right now. Depression goes hand in hand with chronic illness
in general. The good thing is that there are some very good medications
out there that can help you and you don't necessarily have to take them
forever. Most of them do take a while to kick in. Talk to your family,
your minister, and/or your doctor to see what you can do to make this
time better. Please keep us posted. The pneumonia is a bad sign. I contracted pneumonia due to remicade too, and had it until I discontinued remicade. After I got the pneumonia vaccine I haven't had it since either. Just FYI.

Hi Vanessa,

Just checking in to see how your appointment with the internist went today. :)

One thing you may consider is going into therapy along with taking an antidepressant. It might help you to cope and not feel so alone; furthermore, the therapist may have some resources/support groups where you can meet and talk with folks who have similar situations.

As others here have mentioned, you want to be sure you are on the right medication if you go on antidepressants. For some people, that includes talking to someone.

I wish you the best--please "vent" when you need to if it helps.

Christina

Depression is probably the most miserable disease I have. When it is untreated I am miserable even when RA is good, job is good, love life is good, even when I have no reason to be feeling bad. Quality of life goes in toilet. If your trouble is chemical like mine, counseling doesn't help much at all.

Hugs to you. I hope you feel better soon.

Thank you all for your concerns. I was apprehensive about telling my internest about my depression. I felt like here goes another thing to complain about, but he was so understanding. He put me on Wellbutrin Sr. l50mg. 2X daily Morning and afternoon (dinner) He said it would take awhile to kick in. I have found it does make me stay awake but that is suppose to wear off. Sorry I haven't gotten back sooner. I do find I am not sleeping as much.

You have been really kind and I do appreciate your posts, I felt like you cared and at least you all could sympathize with what I was going through, because alot of you have some of the same illness that I have. (Hugs) People that have their health really don't understand, even though they try. IMHO.

Couldn't agree with you more Vanessa [QUOTE=vanessa]

[/QUOTE]

My husband was on Welbutrin for a year or so after his heart attack. Between the health issues he now had to face for the first time in his life, and the high doses of beta blockers and other drugs, it was pretty much inevitable that he had a bout with depression. He did well on Welbutrin. He struggled with some trouble sleeping when he first started taking it, but that went away after a few weeks. He used benadryl (2 tablets) to help him fall asleep when the Welbutrin was causing him sleeping trouble.

Hang in there!
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